Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Page One...

That's how far into this year's issue of All Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder I got before I found something that When Fangirls Attack will be bitching complaining talking about for the next week or so. (sorry to beg, again, but does someone have a scan? Thank you, Sleestak. May Haley Mills fill all your dreams!)


It's Frank Miller's Wonder Woman, angry at "Man's World," angry at "Man's Dreams", angry at "Man" and yelling at "Sperm Banks" to get out of her way.

And it just does NOT let up! She wants to kill Batman. She wants the Justice League to kill Batman. She wants to take over the world. And she is angry! ANG! REE!

But, SURPRISE! All she really wants is a good humping from Superman!


I mean, WOW!

Frank Miller is either brilliant or insane and I'm not sure I care. It's just so... so so AWFUL that it has gone around to becoming spectacularly entertaining, then terrible again, than ridiculously entertaining again!

It's obviously an enormous practical joke at this point, right? Since the rest of the issue is just Batman running around, thinking about how awesome it is to be, and I quote, "the goddamn Batman," Alfred hitting the gym, and Dick Grayson picking up an axe. And that's it! That's what we've been waiting a full year for! Andy Kaufman, in his prime, couldn't have figured out a more surreal product to unleash on the market.

I get the people who are offended by this book. I understand the people who are amused by it ironically. But is there someone, and I mean anyone, out there who loves this book AND takes it at face value? Is there really a reader who digs on Wonder Woman hating the Patriarchy, Superman blindly following orders, and Batman being a sadistic psychopath?

And is Frank Miller playing to that reader, or pissing in their soup?

And how weird is it that DC releases this absurd collection of adolescent male fantasies on the same day it releases The Plain Janes, their first book specifically aimed at teenage girls? And the same day they release Batman #665, which, with its hard-boiled narration, hookers with hearts of gold, uber-corrupt monster cops, and Andy Kubert's Jim Lee-esque art, reads like a knowing parody of All Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder, like Grant Morrison's trying desperately to out-Miller Miller, which, apparently, he just can't?

Because, let's face it, you cannot out-crazy crazy. You can't reason with it either. You can only try to contain it.

p.s. In the name of total honesty, I didn't actually buy All Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder, I skimmed it in the store. No, I saved my money to buy Satan's $@#%* Baby.

God help me.

3 comments:

KKGlinka said...

But is there someone, and I mean anyone, out there who loves this book AND takes it at face value?

Yes, there are:
http://dcboards.warnerbros.com/web/thread.jspa?threadID=2000115975&tstart=0
http://dcboards.warnerbros.com/web/thread.jspa?threadID=2000116023&tstart=0
http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=175516

Steven said...

Wow, that's kind of terrifying.

Even on the message boards, though, I think most people either hate it or enjoy it as a parody.

But the guys begging for Miller to take over Wonder Woman after Picoult?

HO. LEE. CRAP.

Anonymous said...

guHi, Aguille here.
It hit me just now. Miller's style of internal monologue reminds me of the diamante poems I had to write in middle school.

"Placename.
Sneering observational comment.
Elaborative sentence fragment.
Sneering observational comment coupled with purpley prosiac, elaborative, overwrought, comma abusing sentence fragments.
Elaborative sentance fragment.
Sneering observational comment."

All of his characters do this, and it never stops!